Just Friends?
by Dark Falco3000
Summary: Guan Ping just returned to Cheng Du from a father son training session that laster a couple of weeks. He meets up with his friend Xing Cai and finds that he feels differently about her now. First fic. GPXC. R&R. Rating for safety
1. prologue

AN: This is my first fanfic. I've been reading Dynasty Warriors fanfics for a while and I thought it was time I wrote one. I hope you enjoy it. R&R please.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own any characters from Dynasty Warriors.

**PROLOGUE**

Guan Ping entered the kingdom of Shu. Once again, it was under attack by the forces of Cao Cao. 'guess it's time to clean up the mess', he thought, drawing his giant sword. It had been a while since he had been in his kingdom, he had been out with his father Guan Yu for a couple of weeks for training in the wilderness, one on one training and some father-son bonding. And now, they were home. He looked over to his father, who was a giant of a man, also known as the God of War.

"Father, I'm gonna help get rid of Cao Cao," Guan Ping said.

Guan Yu drew Blue Dragon. "OK son, let's see if your training has helped you. I'll go check on my brothers and you help our kingdom defend."

Guan Ping nodded and Guan Yu rode off. 'Alright scum, it's time you met Guan Ping, son of the God of War.' Holding his great sword with one hand, Guan Ping ran into the crowd of men dressed in blue armour. Once reaching the men, Guan Ping swung his sword with incredible force, The sword cut through metal, flesh and blood. Many of Cao Cao's men fell to the ground, dead, lying in a pool of their own blood. Guan Ping raised his sword into a combat position, looking at the rest of Cao Cao's men. Enraged, he yelled, "This is what you get for messing with the kingdom of Shu!" With that, he once again swung his sword, cutting up more men.

Guan Ping continued to decapitate Cao Cao's men, swing after swing after swing. Soon enough, there were no more men left around. Guan Ping didn't even feel tired. 'My father's training did help…' On that thought, he was knocked to the ground from behind. 'What the… did one of Cao Cao's men survive?' he thought. "GET OFF ME! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" he said, while struggling to get free. But instead of a deep man's laugh, he heard a familiar high pitched giggle. His assaulter let him up. He turned around and saw his best friend, Xing Cai. She was still giggling.

"It was just me, Ping. Couldn't you tell?" she said.

"Xing Cai! It's been a while."

She suddenly hugged him, almost causing him to fall over again. "I missed you while you were gone," she said.

"Well I was gone for a while… but now I'm back. So… How much more of Cao Cao's men are around?"

"Cao Cao ordered a retreat. He was losing too many men and saw no point in continuing the battle. I was watching you fighting. You're even better than before!"

"Well my father's training was pretty tough… but then again what do you expect from the God of War?"

"Well maybe one day soon we may be able to spar again."

"I'd like that. But I think we should report to our fathers." Guan Ping and Xing Cai ran over to Guan Ping's horse. Guan Ping helped Xing Cai up, and they rode off into the castle of Cheng Du.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Yes, that was fast. I decided to put this chapter in too because by the time I decided to put the prologue up, I had already finished the first chapter. R&R, enjoy, and R&R. And don't forget: R&R.

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**CHAPTER 1: Flashback**

_14 years ago_

"_I'm sorry to hear what happened to your father," Guan Yu said. "When I met him, I was surprised to find that he was also named Guan. I'm sorry that he passed on."_

_A 5 year old Guan Ping was distraught over his father's death. His father had been killed by a disease, but however upset Guan Ping was, he refused to cry. 'I have to be strong,' he thought. 'I can't cry otherwise my father will think I'm weak, and so will everyone else.'_

"_I was asked by your father that if anything should happen to him, I would look after you, as a father. Come with me, Guan Ping. I'm taking you to the land of Shu. I think you may like it there."_

_Guan Ping reluctantly walked out of his house with Guan Yu. Guan Yu showed Guan Ping to his horse, the fabled Red Hare. Guan Ping knew enough about horses to know that this was a spectacular beast. "Ah," Guan Yu said, noticing Guan Ping's look of amazement. "So I take it you like my horse. His name is Red Hare." Guan Yu picked Guan Ping up and lifted him up onto the awesome horse, and they went for a ride which Guan Ping would not forget, the first time he ever rode the legendary Red Hare._

_They eventually reached the land of Cheng Du. "Welcome… to the land of Shu," Guan Yu said. This will be your home from now on." They walked into the spectacular castle. Up until now, Guan Ping had been working as a farmer's son, even at an age of 5, he had helped his father with some minor jobs. They couldn't afford much and had almost no time for luxuries._

_They walked into the castle. "Just wait here for a while," Guan Yu said. "I need to talk to the king of Shu, Liu Bei."_

_Guan Ping was left waiting in a room that was bigger than his entire house back at the farm. He was staring around at the walls in astonishment. Suddenly, he felt somebody's hands cover his eyes from behind. "Hello," said a high pitched voice from right next to his ear. He could feel somebody's chin press against the top of his shoulder. The person let go of his eyes and he turned around to see a little girl, about the same age as him, wearing a green dress. "I haven't seen you around here before," she said._

"_Umm… I just got here. My father was killed and a man named Guan Yu adopted me." When he spoke of his father, Guan Ping felt tears trying to force their way from beneath his eyes. 'I can't cry,' he thought. 'I have to be strong… so that my father will be proud of me.'_

"_My name is Xing Cai… What's yours?" the girl asked._

"_Guan Ping." Guan Ping replied_

"_I know Guan Yu… He's my uncle, or at least that's what my Dad asked me to call him. My dad and Guan Yu call each other brother even though they aren't really."_

"_So does that make us cousins then?"_

"_Not really... But we can be friends if you want!"_

_Guan Ping didn't say anything; he just looked to the ground sadly. Suddenly, Xing Cai asked, "Why don't you cry?"_

_Guan Ping lifted his head up, sure that he had heard wrong. 'There is no way she knows what I'm feeling,' he thought._

"_I can see that you're really sad, Guan Ping. Why don't you cry? You'll feel better."_

"_I can't cry. I have to be strong; it's what my father would have wanted."_

"_Crying doesn't mean you're weak. Everyone cries. My mother once told me that if you're upset, it's better to let it out with tears than to hold it in."_

_Guan Ping looked at his new friend and thought about what she had just said. Then, he let a tear drip down his cheek. After that tear he couldn't help but cry. Without saying anything, 5 year old Xing Cai just hugged him and let him cry on her shoulder._

Guan Ping and Xing Cai rode over to Cheng Du castle. They got off Guan Ping's horse and went in to the throne room where Liu Bei would surely be with their fathers'.

They found Guan Yu and Zhang Fei standing around the throne, which Liu Bei was sitting in, and Liu Bei's son, Liu Chan, was seated next to Liu Bei. Liu Chan smiled and waved at Xing Cai, who waved back.

"Father!" Guan Ping said. "We were able to push back the forces of Cao Cao. After we killed most of their men they decided that to continue this battle would be pointless and Cao Cao ordered a retreat."

"Thank you, son, and good job," Guan Yu said. Guan Ping flushed with pride. "Guan Ping, Xing Cai, you are dismissed. Go do what you want."

They both left the throne room and walked around for a bit. "So… Since I don't think Cao Cao will be invading us again soon and we're in an alliance with Wu, we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want. Got anything in mind?" Xing Cai asked.

"I dunno… Wanna spar?" Guan Ping asked, and Xing Cai replied by beaming at him. He felt himself blush. 'Woah,' he thought. 'Why am I blushing?'

"Come on, don't just stand there! We've got some sparring to do!" Xing Cai grabbed Guan Ping's arm and ran over to the sparring arena.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Haven't done this in a while... Finally, Chapter 2 is up. Probably not that much celebration, but anyways... R&R and enjoy.

I'd like to thank my reviewers, Lorze the Brookes, and anime/videogame freak

**CHAPTER 2: The Dream**_  
_

_For some reason Guan Ping was finding it hard to get to sleep. As he lay awake, Xing Cai walked into his room. "Xing Cai!" he said. But she didn't say anything. She walked over to his bed and lay on top of him. She then pressed his lips against his and kissed him. After she pulled away, she took off her clothes, leaving only her bra and panties. She reached behind her back to unclip her bra…_

* * *

Guan Ping woke up with a start, sweating as if it were as hot as molten lava in his room. 'What was that about?' he thought. That was the first time he dreamt about Xing Cai like that. He shook his head. 'I know I don't like her in that way. She's like a cousin to me, nothing more.' He tried to get back to sleep, but when he found that he couldn't, he decided to take a walk. He went downstairs and decided to get his weapon and train, as there was nothing else to do.

He went down to the arena, and there he found Xing Cai, with her long fork in hand, doing exactly what he was planning to do. "Xing Cai!" he said. He immediately blushed a violent red and turned away.

"Guan Ping!" Xing Cai ran up and tackled him to the ground. After she got off him he stood up.

"You really have got to stop doing that," he said. She just giggled.

"What are you doing down here, Ping?"

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to train."

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"Not bad, just very strange…" He blushed again at the memory of his dream. "What about you?"

"Well since you beat yesterday when we sparred, I decided to come train a bit."

"Up for another match?"

"Now you're talking!"

"Just let me get my training sword." Guan Ping ran over to where the training weapons were kept, and he grabbed a wooden version of his giant sword. "You'd better be ready for this."

They sparred, and this time it was Xing Cai that emerged victorious.

"Hey, you let me win!" she said.

"No..." Guan Ping started, but was interrupted.

"Yes you did, you sparred much better earlier!"

"Well I did just wake up so forgive me if my technique's a bit sloppy!" Guan Ping said.

"But it wasn't, you were just holding back! I know it!" Xing Cai said. "Why didn't you spar me properly?"

"I..." Guan Ping said. 'Why did I hold back?' he thought to himself. 'What's happening to me?' He sighed and said, "I'm going to take a walk now... Just around the place."

"Hey, can I come?" Xing Cai asked.

"If you want," Guan Ping said.

"Ooo, just us two walking through the deserted castle... How romantic!" Xing Cai said.

"What?" Guan Ping asked as he turned to face Xing Cai. "What's that supposed to me-"

Xing Cai giggled. "I was just kidding around. C'mon, let's go!"

As they walked Xing Cai asked, "So what happened in that dream you were talking about?"

Guan Ping blushed at the memory of his dream. "Oh... uhh... don't worry about it..."

"No, tell me," Xing Cai said.

"Well... it's just... uhh... about someone..."

"Ooo, you're blushing!"

"No I'm not!" Guan Ping said in reply.

"Yeah, you're red as a tomato. Now I'm really interested... who's it about? Could it be that you have a crush on our tutor, Yue Ying?" Xing Cai asked.

"What're you..."

"Or... you do spend a lot of time with that bodyguard of yours... what's her name... Huang Mei?"

"That's because she's my bodyguard, and her grandfather, Huang Zhong, teaches me archery!"

"Well... I can't think of many more girls who you're close to... unless it's me of course!" Xing Cai said and laughed.

"D-don't be ridiculous," Guan Ping stuttered.

Xing Cai gasped and said, "You just stuttered!"

"N-no I didn't," Guan Ping said.

"Yeah, you did it again just then," Xing Cai said as her face started to go red.

"I'm just really tired... that's probably why. I think I'll try to get back to sleep now. Night."

Xing Cai returned to normal, giggled a little and then said, "Yeah, night Ping." Then they both walked separate directions.


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry I haven't updated in so long... it's all school's fault. But I found some time to update this fanfic, and that's what I did. Have fun reading, don't forget... R&R.

Thanks again to the people who reviewed the last chapter: **anime/videogame freak, hobojohn and Sydney Grise.**

** Chapter 3: What's with her?  
**

A very confused Xing Cai wandered into her room. 'What was that all about?' she thought to herself. 'Guan Ping... could he have... feelings for me?' She walked over to her bed and sat down. 'Nah, that's crazy... he's probably just tired, as he said...' She sighed and lay down on her back. 'He'd never think of me like that, more than a friend. I've been his best friend ever since we were little... 

'But what about me? Did I... blush back there? I swear I felt myself blush... but why? It's not like I like him in that way... he's just my best friend... that's all.' She sighed again. 'Maybe Guan Ping wouldn't be a bad choice... strong, reliable, and I already know he's the best friend I could ever hope for... But even if I did decide to ask him... I'd probably just be making a fool of myself.'

She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. 'I have no idea what to do here! Why am I feeling like this? I shouldn't even be considering Guan Ping. He's just my longest and best friend, and I'm probably just feeling attached to him... Maybe, if I can bring the subject up tomorrow without sounding like an idiot, I'll talk to him about it... yeah, that sounds reasonable.'

And on that thought, she fell asleep.

* * *

Guan Ping walked into his room, sat down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. 'What's been going on lately?' he asked himself. 'Why did I have that dream? Why did I let Xing Cai beat me in our sparring match? And, most importantly, why do I keep blushing when I see her?' Just by thinking about it, he felt his face go red again. 'Even just thinking about her makes me blush... Why?

'She's no more than a best friend to me, or maybe a cousin... no more than that. I know that... but why do I get these... feelings when I see her now? I'm so confused.' He then lay down in his bed. 'And just then... her personality completely changed... What was that about?

'Maybe I should tell her that the dream was about her... though I wouldn't want to say exactly what the dream was, that'd be way too embarrassing. I'm just not sure what to think anymore...' He thought for a while.

'If the chance arises, I'll tell her tomorrow and see where it heads from there...'

* * *

By the time Guan Ping awoke, it was already the afternoon. 'Right... no more sleepless nights for me,' he thought to himself. He found a note on his bedside table.

"I was gonna wake you this morning, but you looked so cute sleeping I decided to leave you there... hehe

From Xing Cai"

Guan Ping was slightly frustrated since he woke up so late, but despite this he still smiled when he read the letter. Then, he got out of bed and went to get something to eat.

On the way there he passed Xing Cai, who seemed to be heading to her room. "Hey, Xing Cai!" he called out. "Where're you going?" As she got closer he could see that she was not in the best of moods... she had a very upset look planted firmly on her face, and was storming through the room. She was just about to head up some stairs when she heard Guan Ping's voice. She turned and saw him there.

"Just leave me alone!" She said, and stormed up the stairs, towards her room.

'Woah," Guan Ping thought. 'I wonder what's happening... better go check that everything's ok...'

He walked up to her room, a place where he's been in very few times, even though they've been friends for so long. He knocked on her door. "Who is it?" he heard her call from the other side. She sounded very upset, like she was on the verge of tears.

"It's me," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Just go away!" she said.

"Is this about what happened last night?" he asked. Then she opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Guan Ping. This has nothing to do with you, but I really would like to be left alone right now.

"Oh... ok," Guan Ping said. He left to get something to eat, then went outside and found a tree to sit under. He saw his father walk past.

"Ahh, how are you today, my son?" he asked. "Wait... where's Xing Cai? Isn't she usually with you?"

"I dunno... something must have happened, she wasn't in a very good mood today," Guan Ping said.

"What happened?"

"Oh, I passed her in the hallway, and she just stormed into her room. I went to see what was wrong, and she told me to go away. She said that it had nothing to do with me and she wanted to be left alone."

"Well... son... you do know that once a month girls-" Guan Yu started.

"Yeah, you've already told me that, you don't need to tell me again. But she's never gotten this moody before... Something must have happened..."

"You are upset about this, aren't you?" Guan Yu asked.

"Of course I'm upset!" Guan Ping said. "Just seeing her like that makes me-" then he stopped, realising what he was saying.

"It's ok, son. You're getting older, crossing the bridge between boys and men. Soon, you will learn to accept your feelings."

"What are you-"

"Don't worry," Guan Yu said. "How about this, I'll go to my brothers and see if they know why she's upset. If they know anything, I'll tell you."

"Yeah, thanks Dad."

"Anytime, my son," he said, and then walked off to the castle.

* * *

_Just before Guan Ping woke up that day_

"An arranged marriage?!" Xing Cai yelled at her father. "You're making me have an arranged marriage?!"

"Look, I just think it's for the best that you get married now, rather than lose your chance at happiness later..." Zhang Fei said, trying to calm down his fuming daughter.

"So you're just going to force me to marry some guy I don't even know? How is that giving me any happiness at all?" Xing Cai asked, furious.

"Now, I haven't even told you who it is yet... maybe you'll change your mind when you know."

"OK, who is it?" Xing Cai demanded.

"None other than our King's son, Liu Chan!"

"So..." Xing Cai said, crossing her arms. "You think I'm going to want to marry him, just because he's going to be the King of Shu?"

"Why wouldn't you want to marry him?" her father asked.

"I don't even know him! Father, I'm sure a lot of people would kill for the chance to marry a king-to-be, but I'm not one of them. I want to marry the person I love, not the person who has more money or power."

"You still don't want to marry him? Eventually, when we rule China, you'll be known as Empress, you know?" Zhang said, trying to tempt her now.

"Don't even try it. I'm not tempted by power, money or titles."

"Look, I don't want to force you to do anything against your will... but this time it's out of the question. Liu Bei and I have already organised everything... in nine months, you'll be married to Liu Chan."

"You're so selfish and cruel!" Xing Cai yelled. "You didn't even think of my feelings when you decided this, did you?"

"I just don't want you to live the hard life that I've lived with..."

"I don't care about all that! I don't care about anything like that, and I don't care about Liu Chan, and I can't marry him after only knowing him for 9 months!"

"As your father, it's my job to let you know that you'll do what you're told. I'm sorry, but you can't get out of this. My decision is final."

"I..." Xing Cai backed away from her father. "I hate you!" She ran away from him and then ran out of breath. 'Guan Ping...' she thought to herself, while trying to catch her breath. 'I'm not even going to be able to have that talk with him anymore... I really wanted to, to see what he thinks... but now...' She then started walking, furious, towards her room.


End file.
